Friday, May 29, 2009

What will be the next step for me?

In my MS treatment.....that is. I am working on figuring that out at the moment. After my MRI last week, I learned that I have apparently had some silent lesions working although I have been physically feeling well lately (besides the pesky sinus issue). I have some lesions that have enlarged and a couple new areas with lesions that were not previously there. In total I am looking at 4 places that have grown or become active since last August when my last MRI was taken and I had been showing improvements. I was shocked and almost in disbelief when I first heard the info. After a while I worked it back into my head that I know there can be progression with out symptoms....it is a fact of this disease. Many people will go undiagnosed for years with silent lesions then one will hit in just the "right" spot and bam....they do an MRI and tons of them will show up and eveyone will be surprized. It is almost like 2 steps forward and 10 steps back, or it feels like it anyway. The doctor talked to me about the options....or lack of, really. This is MS, there is NO cure. Steroids are pointless really as we do not know when this happened, and so what would that help, nada? Switching interferon meds.....well, same sort of meds may not really be any more effective, as the one I am on is one of the best, and why beat a dead horse(still taking it, not changing)? The other form of med I chose not to go with, as she also choses not to use, Tysabri, due to the extreme side effects and deaths it has caused. The other option is the IVIG treatment option she has talked in the past a few times. There seem to be many benefits to the treatment the more I read about it. I have decided I will do it, if my insurance covers it. It is not cheap by any means, even with insurance I will be paying alot of money out. I just want to feel good and get through this sinus stuff....I thought I would be good once that was done. I go back in 8 weeks for another MRI to see if anything else has happened in the meanwhile. I am currently waiting for the insurance to verify the request on the IVIG treatment and then we will go from there.

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